Top 5 Novel Writing Mistakes Made in the First 10 Pages
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You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s worth reiterating: the first pages of your novel are the most vital pages in the entire story. The last thing you want is for a reader or prospective agent—who has already been hooked by the plot synopsis—to put your book down after a page or two, but sadly, this happens all too often.
This article is going to detail the common novel writing mistakes made in the first 10 pages of a novel. Regardless of which path you take, self- or traditional publishing, the first pages of a book are critical to your marketing and pitching efforts. It can appear as the “Look Inside” except on Amazon or as the submission pages accompanying a query letter to a literary agent.
Either way, the first pages can make or break the success of the entire novel, so by pointing out these five common mistakes I hope to help you make these first pages compelling, intriguing, and as engaging as possible.
1. Character Overload
The first novel writing mistake is what I call “character overload.” This is when the reader gets introduced to so many people in the first few pages that they can’t keep track of them.
I understand the temptation to show key characters early in the manuscript, as a way to both world-build and entice readers to get invested, but try to be strategic in these early stages of your novel. Think about which characters deserve the reader’s valuable attention at this point in the story, because what often happens with character overload is that the reader gets confused and exhausted by the mental gymnastics of who’s who, propelling them to put the book down.
Another reaction to character overload is the reader not understanding how the characters are related to each other. This can make the novel read as a bunch of disparate stories being told rather than one cohesive narrative.
There is no hard and fast rule in regards to how many characters to introduce, but I recommend naming five or fewer characters within the first 10 pages of a book. That way, your readers can focus on the characters who are most fundamental to setting up the overall narrative.
2. Overdone Backstory
The second mistake is having the opening pages be all backstory or exposition. Of course, it’s critical to provide background context to the plot and the characters’ actions, but it can also slow down the momentum of the story and come across as dull. In fact, as a reader, it’s usually much more exciting to uncover pieces of the backstory as the narrative develops, allowing for a reading experience that flows much more organically.
I was editing a sci-fi novel recently where the author spent the first 30 pages explaining all the events that led up to the war the characters of the novel were fighting in. It was fascinating, but ultimately dulled the narrative suspense and kept me from getting immersed in the protagonist’s present story.
My recommendation in that case was to weave the tidbits of backstory through the character’s point of view so that the reader could see the plot moving forward while also understanding any necessary expository context.
When approaching exposition in the first pages, think about what your reader really, actually, definitively needs to know about your world and characters in order to follow what’s going on—and leave everything else for later. It’s likely that readers will need less information than you think, in which case you can prioritize getting the plot moving.
3. Random Details
As said earlier, the opening 10 pages of novels are the most valuable pages in the entire book. For those writing novels, it’s crucial to keep the reader engaged during those pages, as they haven’t committed to the full novel yet and can back out at any moment.
Sometimes, in an attempt to maintain reader interest, writers will drop a bunch of details that don’t add anything to the narrative. Some examples of this might be specific street names or car models or clothing colors. There are instances where these details are important—for example, if a character’s fashion style is a way of characterizing them, then keep those details.
But similar to point #2, think about what the reader actually needs to know at this early point in the novel, and what is going to maintain their interest. A reader doesn’t need to know that the street the character is walking down is specifically called Millbrook Road or Kensington Drive—it’s better to let the plot move forward without being bogged down by the details.
Another danger of adding too many details anywhere in the novel is that when drawing attention to a specific object, it signals to the reader that it’s important for them to remember. So, if it never comes up again in the novel, the reader can feel as if they “wasted” their mental energy on a small detail.
4. Vagueness
The opposite of the previous point, vagueness is a common pitfall of thrillers and suspense novels—although it can apply to any novel. Sometimes in an attempt to establish intrigue, the writer will deliberately withhold information but, in doing so, end up not saying anything at all.
This might be best illustrated through an example:
I watched with horror at the scene that unfolded before me. I’d seen it before, but this time it felt different. So many emotions flooded my brain at once and I was overwhelmed. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? There were so many options for me to consider that I didn't know which one to choose.
In this passage, I can’t tell where the narrator is, who the narrator is, what they’re doing, or what they’re looking at. As an opening paragraph or two, this kind of passage can work and could even pique the reader’s interest. But if you let it go on for too long, the reader will become disorientated and even lose interest in the story.
Make sure to give the reader enough tangible information to hold onto while still withholding some details to maintain suspense.
5. Lack of Setting
The last of the novel writing mistakes I want to talk about is a lack of setting, where the opening pages don’t have a time or place. This is different from the previous point, vagueness, because the scene can be very specific and easy to follow but still have an unknown time period or physical location.
You could combat this point by saying that’s what the book jacket copy is for—to establish setting. While that is true to an extent, it’s still important to clearly establish the setting of your novel in the opening pages of the book. The reader shouldn’t have to pause reading to reference the back cover or summary page to remember where the story is taking place.
Additionally, there are instances where the book jacket copy isn’t easily accessible to the reader (such as if they are reading on an e-reader). And from a story crafting perspective, establishing setting early in the novel grounds everything from character actions to world building. To forgo it could cause the novel to feel placeless.
So just take a moment to establish a setting early on, and you’ll bypass this issue. As the author, it’s likely obvious when and where the story is taking place, so consider asking a beta reader or editor to read the opening pages of your story and ask if the setting is clear.
Let's go through another example so you can recognize when you might be leaving out some critical setting details:
When I arrived at Lucy’s house, the party had already started. Everyone wore a masquerade mask as specified in the invite. I didn’t think people would actually go through with it. I came for one reason only and it was a selfish one. I came to spot Travis with his new girlfriend. I knew I should be focusing on other things, especially after six months apart, but I was hung up on him.
In this passage, we know the narrator is attending a masquerade party, that she’s looking for her ex, and that they broke up six months ago. So there are actually a lot of specific details about the plot—but this scene could also take place at any time during the last several decades, and we have no sense of where the narrator is geographically.
Now, while the author doesn’t have to jam in setting details, they should still double-check that the setting is specified within the first page or two. This way, the reader can quickly ground themselves in the technical aspects of the story and settle into the plot much more comfortably.
These are the top five most common novel writing mistakes that I often see in the opening pages of novels. I hope these tips help you nail your first ten pages.
Thanks for reading, and happy writing!